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Chapter 138: Hide-and-Seek Begins
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
"If none of us can detect it, then we can only ask Professor Snape to come."
Professor McGonagall frowned, suggesting the name William had expected.
'As expected, Professor Snape is a recognized expert on the School Grounds.'
"Oh, right, Professor, we still need to keep an eye on Miss Weasley. If Mr. Filch was under control, then she—"
William got stuck, not knowing how to describe it.
If they said she was a suspect, the seemingly controlled Mr. Filch claimed that Ginny Weasley had already admitted to all her mistakes and voluntarily accepted punishment.
If they said she wasn't, various suspicions pointed to Miss Weasley. Could she have controlled Mr. Filch just to slander herself? Who plays like that?
It was just awkward.
"Hmm, then I'll send a House-elf to guard Mr. Filch and notify Professor Snape to come and detect him—Professor William, could you come with me to Hagrid's Hut?"
"Of course, Professor, I feel I'm adequately prepared."
William bowed with a smile.
---
"A Weasley girl? Are you talking about Ginny?"
Hagrid scratched his head, "Haven't seen her, I haven't seen her all day today. Why, did she do something strange?"
'Could Hagrid be under control? Doesn't feel like it—and taking down a Half-blood Giant for detection seems a bit fantastical.'
William's hand hovered near his wand, but he eventually gave up the tempting idea in his mind—Professor McGonagall probably couldn't even control a Half-blood Giant if she tried. Their magic resistance is too high.
Giants, as Magical Creatures, are rated by the Ministry of Magic as not very intelligent, but in reality, they are like typical Berserkers in games, practically immune to control effects…
Just as he hesitated, Professor McGonagall asked a rather terrifying question in a feigned casual tone.
"Hagrid, what do you think if Albus decides to take over the Ministry of Magic today?"
"How is that possible, Professor? Are you making a joke, Professor!"
Hagrid's eye widened to a terrifying degree for William. His booming voice made the nearby wooden hut tremble continuously—Professor McGonagall's question had clearly terrified him.
"Of course, I just saw you weren't in a good mood, so I made a joke."
The Professor replied in a noticeably forced casual tone—the previous comments hadn't scared William, but this joke truly did.
But the joke was indeed a bit dry. The three looked at each other, none intending to laugh.
Finally, William awkwardly smoothed things over.
"Um, Professor, since Miss Weasley isn't here, should we go back to the Castle and look? And check on Professor Snape's investigation results while we're at it?"
"That sounds right," Professor McGonagall nodded, turning to the gamekeeper. "Hagrid, I'm entrusting the Forbidden Forest to you. If Miss Weasley tries to come here or enter the Forbidden Forest, notify me immediately."
"Of course, Professor, you can always trust me."
Hagrid's smile returned to normal—when Professor McGonagall told her dry joke, the Half-blood Giant looked so awkward he seemed to wish he could smash a tree to relieve himself.
---
"Is everything alright with Hagrid, Professor?"
On the way back to the Castle, seeing Professor McGonagall's unusually relaxed expression, William couldn't help but ask.
"It's fine. If he were under control, his answer would either be unhesitating support or extreme chaos. Hagrid trusts Albus, just as Albus trusts him."
William had heard of this theory—no matter what kind of control spell it was, it either completely negated the target's will, forcefully suppressing it with one's own magic power and then controlling their actions, or it awakened their subconscious, influencing their actions through parts they wouldn't resist.
But this method could hardly be used to determine if someone was under control. People's hearts are hidden; who knows what a person's true thoughts are, or which question would awaken the parts they care about most?
Only Hagrid could be asked that way; the same method would be useless on Mr. Filch.
"Let's head back to Mr. Filch's Office first, and inquire about Professor Snape's investigation results—I hope Professor Snape can bring us some good news." Professor McGonagall arranged the itinerary as she walked quickly. "Afterward, I will give instructions to the Castle's Portraits and the Prefects to search for Miss Weasley within the Castle."
"She might not be in the Castle. I think we need to seal off the access passageways." William added his guess. "And the secret passages. Some secret passages in the Castle lead directly off campus."
"That probably can only be done once Mr. Filch is confirmed to be free of control—many secret passages are only known to the Caretaker." Professor McGonagall raised a hand and rubbed her forehead. "Targeting the Caretaker first was to buy time for escape. That's not a strategy a first-year student could come up with."
"One Weasley causes more trouble than the last." William agreed. "No matter how old they are."
"Professor William, your view of the Weasley Twins is too one-sided—Bill and Charlie are quite good…" Professor McGonagall paused, then realized there seemed to be no problem.
Bill is excellent with people and has good grades. Charlie is an extremely good Seeker, even having the potential to join the national team. Then there's Percy, whose grades are quite good, but students' private comments about him aren't too high. The Weasley Twins are walking rule-breakers. Ron, that child, crashed a car into a tree, and the youngest, Ginny…
"See, didn't I tell you? Thankfully, they don't have any more children to send in."
William casually joked—what he feared was the unknown. Once the perpetrator emerged, even if he couldn't handle it, he could fully rely on Headmaster Dumbledore. Did they truly think the title of Chief White Wizard was watered down?
This joke also made Professor McGonagall relax. "But Gryffindor isn't just about the Weasleys—we're almost at the Owlery. Professor William, please go back to the Castle first and find Mr. Filch. Once you confirm he's free of control, have Mr. Filch start sealing off the secret passages on the campus."
"Do we need to have the students return to their common room and wait?" William decided to play it safe—after all, Ginny might have knocked out Mr. Filch, so her combat power was certainly commendable.
Professor McGonagall pondered for a moment and quickly gave her answer.
"No, Professor William. If this level of unexpected situation required suspending courses, Hogwarts couldn't continue operating. We'd have to suspend courses for half a year annually."
True, if first-year students causing trouble meant suspending courses, then those boys in William's Office serving Detention could create three extra summer holidays for the school…
"Oh, right, Professor William, I need to send a letter to Hogsmeade Village. Please help me notify the Prefects to begin a search within the Castle."
"No problem," William waved his hand and walked towards the Castle.
The deduction game was over; now it was time for hide-and-seek.
P.S. A total of seventy thousand characters were updated in February. Counting the two days I took off for the New Year Festival, theoretically, I should have updated one hundred thousand characters, leaving a total debt of thirty thousand characters, fifteen chapters… heavy debt…
Nothing for tonight. I'll slowly repay the debt in March…
(end of chapter)
2022-07-14 Author: I'm Just a Pigeon
"If none of us can detect it, then we can only ask Professor Snape to come."
Professor McGonagall frowned, suggesting the name William had expected.
'As expected, Professor Snape is a recognized expert on the School Grounds.'
"Oh, right, Professor, we still need to keep an eye on Miss Weasley. If Mr. Filch was under control, then she—"
William got stuck, not knowing how to describe it.
If they said she was a suspect, the seemingly controlled Mr. Filch claimed that Ginny Weasley had already admitted to all her mistakes and voluntarily accepted punishment.
If they said she wasn't, various suspicions pointed to Miss Weasley. Could she have controlled Mr. Filch just to slander herself? Who plays like that?
It was just awkward.
"Hmm, then I'll send a House-elf to guard Mr. Filch and notify Professor Snape to come and detect him—Professor William, could you come with me to Hagrid's Hut?"
"Of course, Professor, I feel I'm adequately prepared."
William bowed with a smile.
---
"A Weasley girl? Are you talking about Ginny?"
Hagrid scratched his head, "Haven't seen her, I haven't seen her all day today. Why, did she do something strange?"
'Could Hagrid be under control? Doesn't feel like it—and taking down a Half-blood Giant for detection seems a bit fantastical.'
William's hand hovered near his wand, but he eventually gave up the tempting idea in his mind—Professor McGonagall probably couldn't even control a Half-blood Giant if she tried. Their magic resistance is too high.
Giants, as Magical Creatures, are rated by the Ministry of Magic as not very intelligent, but in reality, they are like typical Berserkers in games, practically immune to control effects…
Just as he hesitated, Professor McGonagall asked a rather terrifying question in a feigned casual tone.
"Hagrid, what do you think if Albus decides to take over the Ministry of Magic today?"
"How is that possible, Professor? Are you making a joke, Professor!"
Hagrid's eye widened to a terrifying degree for William. His booming voice made the nearby wooden hut tremble continuously—Professor McGonagall's question had clearly terrified him.
"Of course, I just saw you weren't in a good mood, so I made a joke."
The Professor replied in a noticeably forced casual tone—the previous comments hadn't scared William, but this joke truly did.
But the joke was indeed a bit dry. The three looked at each other, none intending to laugh.
Finally, William awkwardly smoothed things over.
"Um, Professor, since Miss Weasley isn't here, should we go back to the Castle and look? And check on Professor Snape's investigation results while we're at it?"
"That sounds right," Professor McGonagall nodded, turning to the gamekeeper. "Hagrid, I'm entrusting the Forbidden Forest to you. If Miss Weasley tries to come here or enter the Forbidden Forest, notify me immediately."
"Of course, Professor, you can always trust me."
Hagrid's smile returned to normal—when Professor McGonagall told her dry joke, the Half-blood Giant looked so awkward he seemed to wish he could smash a tree to relieve himself.
---
"Is everything alright with Hagrid, Professor?"
On the way back to the Castle, seeing Professor McGonagall's unusually relaxed expression, William couldn't help but ask.
"It's fine. If he were under control, his answer would either be unhesitating support or extreme chaos. Hagrid trusts Albus, just as Albus trusts him."
William had heard of this theory—no matter what kind of control spell it was, it either completely negated the target's will, forcefully suppressing it with one's own magic power and then controlling their actions, or it awakened their subconscious, influencing their actions through parts they wouldn't resist.
But this method could hardly be used to determine if someone was under control. People's hearts are hidden; who knows what a person's true thoughts are, or which question would awaken the parts they care about most?
Only Hagrid could be asked that way; the same method would be useless on Mr. Filch.
"Let's head back to Mr. Filch's Office first, and inquire about Professor Snape's investigation results—I hope Professor Snape can bring us some good news." Professor McGonagall arranged the itinerary as she walked quickly. "Afterward, I will give instructions to the Castle's Portraits and the Prefects to search for Miss Weasley within the Castle."
"She might not be in the Castle. I think we need to seal off the access passageways." William added his guess. "And the secret passages. Some secret passages in the Castle lead directly off campus."
"That probably can only be done once Mr. Filch is confirmed to be free of control—many secret passages are only known to the Caretaker." Professor McGonagall raised a hand and rubbed her forehead. "Targeting the Caretaker first was to buy time for escape. That's not a strategy a first-year student could come up with."
"One Weasley causes more trouble than the last." William agreed. "No matter how old they are."
"Professor William, your view of the Weasley Twins is too one-sided—Bill and Charlie are quite good…" Professor McGonagall paused, then realized there seemed to be no problem.
Bill is excellent with people and has good grades. Charlie is an extremely good Seeker, even having the potential to join the national team. Then there's Percy, whose grades are quite good, but students' private comments about him aren't too high. The Weasley Twins are walking rule-breakers. Ron, that child, crashed a car into a tree, and the youngest, Ginny…
"See, didn't I tell you? Thankfully, they don't have any more children to send in."
William casually joked—what he feared was the unknown. Once the perpetrator emerged, even if he couldn't handle it, he could fully rely on Headmaster Dumbledore. Did they truly think the title of Chief White Wizard was watered down?
This joke also made Professor McGonagall relax. "But Gryffindor isn't just about the Weasleys—we're almost at the Owlery. Professor William, please go back to the Castle first and find Mr. Filch. Once you confirm he's free of control, have Mr. Filch start sealing off the secret passages on the campus."
"Do we need to have the students return to their common room and wait?" William decided to play it safe—after all, Ginny might have knocked out Mr. Filch, so her combat power was certainly commendable.
Professor McGonagall pondered for a moment and quickly gave her answer.
"No, Professor William. If this level of unexpected situation required suspending courses, Hogwarts couldn't continue operating. We'd have to suspend courses for half a year annually."
True, if first-year students causing trouble meant suspending courses, then those boys in William's Office serving Detention could create three extra summer holidays for the school…
"Oh, right, Professor William, I need to send a letter to Hogsmeade Village. Please help me notify the Prefects to begin a search within the Castle."
"No problem," William waved his hand and walked towards the Castle.
The deduction game was over; now it was time for hide-and-seek.
P.S. A total of seventy thousand characters were updated in February. Counting the two days I took off for the New Year Festival, theoretically, I should have updated one hundred thousand characters, leaving a total debt of thirty thousand characters, fifteen chapters… heavy debt…
Nothing for tonight. I'll slowly repay the debt in March…
(end of chapter)
